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Author
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Topic: Gene Cernan's Apollo 17 lunar Hasselblad
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SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4578
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-24-2020 10:05 AM
   
Cole Rise has identified the Hasselblad on NASA loan to the OMEGA Museum in Switzerland is the lunar surface camera used by Gene Cernan on Apollo 17. It's often repeated how most of the cameras that landed on the moon stayed on the moon. Astronaut Gene Cernan had been telling the story of how he left his camera on the lunar rover for years, recounting the tale in interviews."I left my Hasselblad camera there with the lens pointing up at the zenith, the idea being someday someone would come back and find out how much deterioration solar cosmic radiation had on the glass. So, going up the ladder, I never took a photo of my last footstep. How dumb! Wouldn't it have been better to take the camera with me, get the shot, take the film pack off and then (for weight restrictions) throw the camera away?" It's easy to accept Cernan at his word – he's an American hero who flew to space three times, twice to the moon – so as far as everyone was concerned, including the press, the camera was right where he said he left it. Plus, a quick scan of the Apollo 17 stowage list reveals no mention of a lunar surface camera splashing down with the command module. So why the mystery? Looking closer, there's a sprinkling of evidence in photos and transcripts that suggest his camera did in fact return to earth, contradicting both the 1972 NASA inventory and the astronaut. No, don't cue the dramatic music… there's no mischief or intentional deception here. I believe Gene Cernan did leave a camera on the lunar rover, just not "his." Memory can be a fickle thing, even for heroes, and that rings especially true in this case when the story involves not one camera, but three... |
CJ
Member Posts: 48
From: Cherry Hill, NJ
Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 07-24-2020 08:22 PM
Cole has done a fantastic job of research finding Cernan's camera. Given there was no quarantine for Apollo 17, was just the film magazines off-loaded from the spacecraft upon landing on the carrier, or the entire camera? If the camera remained on the spacecraft, it would have been removed by North American, and a record made of it. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3447
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-24-2020 10:59 PM
It says in the article that Cernan and Schmitt wanted the lunar surface camera to take photos of Ron Evans' EVA. The number "23" does show up in photos taken in lunar orbit after LM liftoff, but I do not see the number "23" in any of the transearth EVA photos.
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Philip
Member Posts: 6051
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 07-25-2020 10:15 AM
Remains behind the scenes as it isn't currently on display, but other Hasselblad cameras are on display in the renewed Omega museum. |
David Carey
Member Posts: 826
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 07-25-2020 03:24 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
I do not see the number "23" in any of the transearth EVA photos.
Nor could I see any fiducial marks. I assume magazine 152/PP would contain the relevant images.Perhaps I'm missing something but, despite the stated intent, it seems a different camera was ultimately used for capturing Evans' EVA. Otherwise, they would have had to remove the Réseau plate (was that even possible?) It would surprise me if nobody at NASA is aware of the camera's full history — hope the author hears back from the agency with confirmation or a big "thank you" for uncovering the facts. In any case a fascinating read and great independent sleuthing. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3447
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-25-2020 08:30 PM
The camera that Schmitt used to take the EVA photos of Evans can be seen at 1:10 into this 16mm film clip.
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